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househelicoptershomophobic crimehomosexualityhomosexualshousing benefitidentity theftillegal war in Iraqinternetiphoneituneslandfilllobbyistsm Eastmanifestomobile phone companiesnew generationnewspapersoffstreet parkingopen primariespackagingpaedophilespaedophiliapensionsphenomenalpostersprescription chargespreservativesprison shipproduct placementprotestpublic noticesracismrationsrefereereferendumrepublicanresignationsaunasex crimeshadow cabinetsheep taggingshoppingsignal boxessnookersnowstrikesuicidesunrisesupermarketsthird runwaytineyetoffstrackstrain journeystuition feesweddingswomen bishopsAndrew Reeves' Running Blog - but what am I running for.....http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)Blogger999125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-6157433177066869730Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:37:00 +00002011-06-01T09:37:00.083+01:00cucumbersGeorge LyonGermanyRosa AguilarSpainBan Spanish cucumbers and all fresh produce as a precautionThere is a sense of irony with this story because whenever Britain gets a sniff of an outbreak, whether salmonella in eggs or mad cow disease in our beef other European countries ban our produce within minutes.<br /><br />So, why does Spain think there is a sense of injustice with Germany over the 15 deaths and&nbsp;over 1,150&nbsp;cases of suspected e-coli from Spanish cucumbers?<br /><br />The response from Rosa Aguilar, the Spanish agriculture minister was;<br /><blockquote>"We want Germany to provide, without any delay and distractions, the necessary information of its investigation"</blockquote>What utter crap, Spain should be working hand in hand with Germany to rule the cucumbers out if they are that confident, instead of getting on a high horse with such an arrogant attitude.<br /><br />This would mean then that we would know whether the cucumbers are the cause of these tragic deaths.<br /><br />I feel we must ban Spanish cucumbers until it is proven they are clear and we have to seriously consider banning&nbsp;all other Spanish produce.<br /><br />Before you jump on me for being anti-European (which I'm not) just take a step back and imagine this was British cucumbers - there would have been a shut down across Europe, absolutely no doubt about it.<br /><br />It is time for some sense in Europe, and I leave the last word to <a href="http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/news/2011/05/import-ban-call-combat-ecoli-cucumber-threat">George Lyon MEP</a>; <br /><blockquote>“With reports that deaths have been caused by produce contaminated with E.Coli outside of Germany there is a real possibility that some of this contaminated produce could be reaching British shores.<br /><br />“The UK Government should call an immediate halt to all produce coming from Spain until test results can identify the exact source of the outbreak.<br /><br />“As a precaution, we must take this action to limit any potential risk to British consumers.<br /><br />“When we have a more detailed picture of events we can reevaluate the situation, but taking this precaution now will help to reassure anxious consumers.”</blockquote>Some sense from a politician.&nbsp; Now we need sense from the Spanish politicians.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/06/ban-spanish-cucumbers-and-all-fresh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-2677452372413120350Tue, 31 May 2011 15:06:00 +00002011-05-31T16:15:19.261+01:00HolyroodMalcolm ChisholmScottish Labour PartyScottish Labour in turmoil as Malcolm Chisholm stands down from front benchJust eleven days after Scottish Labour announced their new front bench team, they have been plunged into turmoil as Malcolm Chisholm resigns.<br /><br />Malcolm Chisholm was their education and life long learning spokesman.<br /><br />Malcolm Chisholm said he reconsidered his position after failing to be appointed by his party as convener of Holyrood's health committee.<br /><br />A Labour spokesman said:<br /><br />"Iain Gray asked Malcolm Chisholm to use his experience and ability in the shadow cabinet and he had agreed to do so.<br /><br />"He has since reconsidered and changed his mind."<br /><br />Ken Macintosh has taken his place as education spokesman while Patricia Ferguson becomes the culture spokeswoman.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQ3hYfJIXoc/TeUDafwJH8I/AAAAAAAAAwo/GopaHGxrY0c/s1600/malcolm_petition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQ3hYfJIXoc/TeUDafwJH8I/AAAAAAAAAwo/GopaHGxrY0c/s1600/malcolm_petition.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malcolm Chisholm MSP, Edinburgh Northern &amp; Leith</td></tr></tbody></table>This is Malcolm Chisholm's fourth resignation, the first back in 1997 was over child benefit cuts, then Iraq and in 2006 over trident which was a "matter of principle".<br /><br />In 2006 Malcolm Chisholm was the Communities Minister and resigned from the Scottish government after voting with the SNP over the replacement of Trident. <br /><br />He was one of four Labour members who supported the SNP's motion opposing the replacement of the nuclear submarines with up-to-date models.<br /><br />Is this the end of Malcolm's front bench career and was the resignation just sour grapes?http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/scottish-labour-in-turmoil-as-malcolm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-9207296632502245977Tue, 31 May 2011 11:56:00 +00002011-05-31T12:56:54.663+01:00expensesLord Taylor of WarwickFormer Conservative peer Lord Taylor jailed for expenses fraudAnother one bites the dust.<br /><br />This time a peer is jailed.<br /><br />Basically, Lord Taylor lived in Ealing, West London but actually claimed his main residence was in fact in Oxford.&nbsp; The property in Oxford was owned by his nephew.<br /><blockquote><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13599624">He pleaded not guilty</a> to the charges - saying had been told by senior peers it was normal practice to make false expenses claims - but was convicted in January.<br /><br />His legal team argued that he should not face prison because, as a peer, his crimes were less serious than those of MPs found guilty over their expenses.<br /><br />They said a custodial term would "destroy him", adding that: "Every fibre of Taylor is motivated by public service."</blockquote><br />Lord Taylor claimed travel costs between the Oxford home and Westminster, as well as subsistence for staying in London between March 2006 and October 2007, Lord Taylor submitted six claims for overnight stays in Oxford and mileage to and from the property totalling £11,277.80.<br /><blockquote>Passing sentence, Mr Justice Saunders said Lord Taylor had lied to journalists investigating his expenses and lied while giving evidence to the jury on oath during his trial.</blockquote><blockquote> He said: "The expenses scheme in the House of Lords was based on trust. <br /><br />"Peers certified that their claims were accurate. They were not required to provide proof. It was considered that people who achieved a peerage could be relied on to be honest. <br /><br />"Making false claims involved a breach of a high degree of trust. <br /><br />"The expenses scandal has affected the standing not just of the House of Commons but also the House of Lords."</blockquote>&nbsp;Mr Justice Saunders is spot on when he says the whole expenses scandal has affected the standing of the Houses of Parliament.&nbsp; It will take time for the public to trust politicians in the same way as they used to. <br /><br />Although we should remember that it was a small minority who committed fraud with their expenses, but they have tainted the majority.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/former-conservative-peer-lord-taylor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-5950883318280696697Mon, 30 May 2011 21:14:00 +00002011-05-30T22:14:00.402+01:00FIFAfootballSepp Blatter"Football is not in a crisis, only some difficulties," says Sepp BlatterOh dear, as usual <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/seppblatter">FIFA's President Sepp Blatter</a> cannot see the wood for the trees.<br /><br />This Wednesday FIFA will select its new President, however, there is now only one candidate, that is the current controversial President, one Joseph Sepp Blatter.<br /><br />His opponent and the only rival candidate - Mohamed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) - pulled out having been suspended by Fifa's own ethics committee over allegations that financial incentives were offered to Caribbean Football Union members.<br /><br />So, on Saturday there was a Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) press conference in Zurich, but only one person was present, El Presidente Blatter himself - <a href="http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/president/news/newsid=1443581.html">you can see it here</a>.<br /><br />From <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13596308.stm">BBC Sport</a>: <br /><blockquote>"Football is not in a crisis, only some difficulties," said the Fifa president.<br /><br />President Blatter brushed off suggestions, from the British government among others, that Wednesday's presidential election - for which he is the only candidate - should be suspended.<br /><br />"If governments try to intervene then something is wrong," he said.<br /><br />"I think Fifa is strong enough that we can deal with our problems inside Fifa."</blockquote>Blatter then went on to discuss Saturday's Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United, played at Wembley stadium&nbsp;as an example of the sport's strength and insisted there would be no re-run of the controversial vote for the 2022 World Cup.<br /><br /><blockquote>"If you see the final match of the Champions League you must applaud," he said.<br /><br />"We are not in a crisis. We are only in some difficulties and these will be solved inside our family."</blockquote>I am really sorry but this guy is on another planet, he also thinks that Wednesday's Presidential election should proceed despite the fact that he is now the only candidate, and is covered in controversy himself.<br />As well as Governments around the world getting involved, now the sponsors are wading in on the&nbsp;accusations and arguments&nbsp;that are surrounding FIFA, earlier today, two of Fifa's largest sponsors - Coca-Cola and Adidas - expressed concern at the widely publicised in-fighting.<br /><br /><blockquote>"The current allegations being raised are distressing and bad for the sport," said a Coca-Cola spokesperson.<br /><br />"We have every expectation that Fifa will resolve this situation in an expedient and thorough manner."<br /><br />An Adidas spokesman said: "The negative tenor of the public debate around Fifa at the moment is neither good for football nor for Fifa and its partners."</blockquote>FIFAs Vice President, Jack Warner is now mired in controversy himself.<br /><br />This constant stream of rows, accusations of fraud, corruption&nbsp;and controversy divert away from what FIFA should be representing, grassroots football.<br /><br />One line of their <a href="http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/mission.html">mission statement</a> did make me laugh - Our core values of authenticity, unity, performance and integrity are at the very heart of who we are.<br /><br /><br />If Sepp Blatter believed any of the words above then he would suspend the Presidential election immediately, resign,&nbsp;ensure the&nbsp;Executive Committee also resigned to&nbsp;clear all of the allegations and then&nbsp;run new elections for President and Executive Committee - where no-one accused of any corruption or wrong doing should re-stand.<br /><br />To read an alternative view, read G's spot - <a href="http://littlegrumpyg.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/fifas-mafia-family-goes-to-war/">FIFA’s mafia family goes to war</a>.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/football-is-not-in-crisis-only-some.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-6917918070863048320Wed, 25 May 2011 20:36:00 +00002011-05-25T21:36:00.371+01:00beachEdinburghPortobelloA day out in Portobello on the beach<a href="http://carons-musings.blogspot.com/">Caron Lindsay</a> will be proud as well as slightly annoyed, sitting there going, told you so.<br /><br />I am on three days annual leave starting today, but true to form, I started by going into the office for 90 minutes to finish some bits off that needed to be done and I have answered a few emails during the day.<br /><br />Once I had finished I walked back to Princes Street via a few shops and then decided to catch the first bus that came to the nearest bus stop and see where that took me.<br /><br />So, a 26 bus was first so I hopped on and read the Metro and decided to jump off at Portobello, somewhere I have never been to in my 3 years in Edinburgh (yes, 3 years on Tuesday next week).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oGpLTK53se8/Td1lHBcwNpI/AAAAAAAAAwc/wu1aoDpBwcs/s1600/IMG_0896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oGpLTK53se8/Td1lHBcwNpI/AAAAAAAAAwc/wu1aoDpBwcs/s320/IMG_0896.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><br />To the right of the post in the water, in the centre of the picture is a blob in the water, that is in fact a man swimming in the freezing water.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OubcnzYBzic/Td1nS_oLx1I/AAAAAAAAAwg/ULm_2TxRrMo/s1600/IMG_0888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OubcnzYBzic/Td1nS_oLx1I/AAAAAAAAAwg/ULm_2TxRrMo/s320/IMG_0888.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><br />Portobello is a beach resort located three miles to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth.<br /><br />The area was originally known as Figgate Muir, an expanse of moorland through which the Figgate Burn flowed from Duddingston Loch to the sea, with a broad sandy beach on the Firth of Forth. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-949RCFGbR2A/Td1n7dEX81I/AAAAAAAAAwk/nm506QKOCCM/s1600/IMG_0880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-949RCFGbR2A/Td1n7dEX81I/AAAAAAAAAwk/nm506QKOCCM/s320/IMG_0880.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><br />The name Figgate was thought to come from the Saxon term for "cow's ditch", and the land was used as pasture by the monks of Holyrood Abbey. In 1296 William Wallace mustered forces on the moor in a campaign that led to the Battle of Dunbar, and in 1650 the moor was the supposed scene of a secret meeting between Oliver Cromwell and Scottish leaders.<br /><br />A report from 1661 describes a race in which twelve browster-wives ran from the Burn (recorded as the Thicket Burn) to the top of Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/day-out-in-portobello-on-beach.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-1761774328271730886Mon, 23 May 2011 09:19:00 +00002011-05-23T10:19:11.007+01:00Crest SportsGroupEdinburgh Capitalsice hockeyMurrayfield ice rinkScott NeilEdinburgh Capitals aim for Elite League ice hockey with new sponsorDespite a torrid season and many promises from the <a href="http://www.edinburgh-capitals.com/">Edinburgh Capitals</a> (Edinburgh's ice hockey team, based at Murrayfield), none of which were forthcoming, there is hope for next season and currently it does look as if the Caps will be playing in the Elite league once again.<br /><br />However, as I said, last seasons promises were not forthcoming so I am not holding my breath this time.<br /><br />As usual news from the club has been quiet.<br /><br />In fact, just two news stories of any substance.<br /><br />The first being the welcome return of Keith Butland, who will once again head up PR and Communications.&nbsp; I really hope this includes the website, although I've offered to Scott Neil that a friend of mine is happy to re-design the website at no cost, I never got a reply.&nbsp; Perhaps I will contact Keith.<br /><br />The second story, announced yesterday was that the Edinburgh Capitals have agreed terms for a brand new sponsorship deal with Crest SportsGroup.<br /><br />From the Caps website: <br /><br />The Crest SportsGroup LLP is a consulting and investment firm operating in the professional sports industry, focusing on the business side of professional sports. <br /><br />Kai Isaksen, Crest SportsGroup, said, "Crest SportsGroup see great potential for ice hockey in Edinburgh in general, and Edinburgh Capitals in particular, and we are happy to get involved. In addition to financial value, we bring a large network of contacts and extensive experience, and we aim to use this to help Capitals develop further as a club." <br /><br />Craig Henderson, Crest SportsGroup UK Senior Partner, commented, "We are impressed by what Mr. Neil has built over these years, and look forward to working with him to develop the Capitals brand even further. We hope to use our involvement to develop new methodology and concepts for sponsorship in ice hockey. <br /><br />"We are confident the problems experienced by the Capitals last season are now sorted and we look forward to a good season for the Capitals in the Elite League. By signing up for a sponsorship agreement this early, we hope to contribute to bringing back the enthusiasm surrounding the club, from sponsors and fans. This is the time to stand up for the club we support, and we hope many will join us in making firm commitments to the club." <br /><br />Edinburgh Capitals General Manager, Scott Neil, said, "I am delighted to have secured sponsorship and professional assitance and advice from Crest SportsGroup and view this relationship as a vital mechanism in developing the club in order to compete long term. We have already discussed many interesting avenues that may take time to deliver but certainly have exciting potential for the team to become a top competitor in the Elite League."<br /><br />This does sound great news, but nowhere does it say whether this is the clubs main sponsor for next season, or whether this is just a secondary sponsor.<br /><br />When will the club start sending out season ticket requests? <br /><br />I do with that Scott Neil would learn to use the media and website better for communication, rumours wouldn't happen as much if he did.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/edinburgh-capitals-aim-for-elite-league.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-8075371851062183084Sun, 22 May 2011 19:12:00 +00002011-05-22T20:35:34.395+01:00Ryan GiggsSunday HeraldThe Sunday Herald names the footballer who cannot be namedSo, this week has been the week of super injunctions, gagging orders and accusations.<br /><br />The Sunday Herald, or as it is known on some of its competitors websites, the newspaper that cannot be named, has taken the plunge and named he who cannot be named.<br /><br />The Sunday Herald’s front page;<br /><blockquote>“Everyone knows that this is the footballer accused of using the courts to keep allegations of a sexual affair secret. But we weren’t supposed to tell you that…,”</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eSlSZAjdygE/TdlepTYrLOI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/1tO-G_MKy4w/s1600/Herald.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314px" j8="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eSlSZAjdygE/TdlepTYrLOI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/1tO-G_MKy4w/s320/Herald.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />Due to the increased traffic to the Sunday Herald’s website, it’s down, although the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/22/scottish-newspaper-identifies-injuction-footballer">Guardian</a> reports that the article and photo have not been published online.<br /><br />Was this a stunt to get more readers, or a move to show the lawyers that there are ways round the law, especially when injunctions are only applied for in one country, therefore exempting other countries.<br /><br />Let us see what this week brings.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/sunday-herald-names-footballer-who.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-4414223513583630656Sat, 21 May 2011 19:56:00 +00002011-05-21T20:59:07.174+01:00Liberal DemocratsPCCPress Complaints CommissionThe Daily TelegraphThe Press Complaints Commission versus the Daily TelegraphI had meant to blog about this when the PCC announced the ruling, but I was recovering from the election.<br /><br />I am very pleased that the PCC have ruled against the Daily Telegraph, for two reasons.<br /><br />The Daily Telegraph articles quoted a number of private comments made by senior Liberal Democrat MPs in their constituency surgeries which had been secretly recorded by the newspaper's journalists posing as constituents. <br /><br />The MPs featured included the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, in addition to Under Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Ed Davey, Minister for Work and Pensions, Steve Webb, Scottish Secretary, Michael Moore, Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker, Under Secretary of State to the Department for Communities and Local Government, Andrew Stunell, Parliamentary Secretary (Deputy Leader) to the Office of the Leader of the Commons, David Heath and Health Minister, Paul Burstow.<br /><br />A pity the PCC spelt Andrew Stunell's name incorrectly.<br /><br />I have worked directly for one of these, worked closely with&nbsp;four and worked with the other three.&nbsp; In fact one was at my wedding earlier this year.<br /><br />I therefore reserve the right to be biased against the Daily Telegraph.<br />I have read the ruling, a number of times and the most interesting paragraph is this one; <br /><blockquote>The newspaper denied that it had undertaken a ‘fishing expedition'; rather, it had acted upon specific information it had received from parliamentarians and members of the public. In private meetings at the Conservative party conference in 2010, the editor had been informed by Conservative ministers including a Cabinet minister (themselves informed by local party activists) that the public and private views of some Liberal Democrat ministers were increasingly at odds, particularly on the issue of Coalition policies which had been backed publicly. Similar concerns had also been expressed separately to senior reporters and the issue was raised with several MPs in the course of various engagements. A consistent theme began to emerge of growing Liberal Democrat private dissatisfaction. The newspaper said that the Conservative ministers were understandably reluctant to go on the record, or provide information or contacts in Liberal Democrat constituencies to back up their concerns.</blockquote>The specific line within the paragraph above&nbsp;that caught my eye was this one; <br /><blockquote>In private meetings at the Conservative party conference in 2010, the editor had been informed by Conservative ministers including a Cabinet minister (themselves informed by local party activists) that the public and private views of some Liberal Democrat ministers were increasingly at odds, particularly on the issue of Coalition policies which had been backed publicly.</blockquote>Wow, the editor must have been really shocked?<br /><br />Come on DT, when Labour were in power they had Ministers and MPs expressing views against their own Government - did the Daily Telegraph think it was appropriate to go and pretend to be constituents and secretly film or record them?<br /><br />No, because in other news the Pope is Catholic and bears crap in woods.<br /><br />So, what is different?<br /><br />The difference is that the media are not used to coalition government - unlike the Scottish media - and therefore don't know how to deal with it.&nbsp; The only way they have come up with so&nbsp;far is to to attack, and find things to attack, sometimes like this story, on things that don't interest the public and breaking the rules to get the story.<br /><br />Interestingly the ruling also states;<br /><blockquote>The newspaper had said that it had acted on information from various sources, who had been unwilling to go on the record.</blockquote>I assume that includes the Conservative Ministers and Cabinet Minister?&nbsp; Strange that.<br /><br />Is it because they are jealous they didn't get more senior roles within the Government because Cameron went into coalition rather than going it alone in a minority government?<br /><br />The second reason I am pleased that the ruling went against the Daily Telegraph was because knowing how hard MPs work and how important their constituency surgeries are, it is utterly appalling that the journalists wasted time pretending to be constituents. <br />&nbsp; <br />This, as well as being sneaky and dishonest has deprived a real constituent with real problems from seeing their MP and potentially getting help. <br />&nbsp; <br />When I worked for Vince Cable, he held his weekly advice surgery every Friday from 5pm to 7pm.&nbsp; Joan and I often would be still in the office with Vince until 8pm, sometimes even later working through the people and trying to help. <br />&nbsp; <br />I have to be honest, it is a bloody good job I didn't work for Vince when the sneaky journalists met him, because I would have been furious.&nbsp; We put a lot of effort into helping constituents, so depriving a real person of time with their MP to explain a real life problem is nothing short of pathetic. <br />&nbsp; <br />The Daily Telegraph were out of order on this occasion, they didn't generate news, and they have gone down in my estimation.&nbsp; You can read <a href="http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyMA==">the ruling here</a>.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/press-complaints-commission-versus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-5094750448762956871Thu, 19 May 2011 20:47:00 +00002011-05-19T21:47:43.986+01:00ArtistDobermannDylan LisleEdinburghCalling all Edinburgh animal lovers - help find LedaIf you see a Dobermann in Edinburgh, it may well be Leda.<br /><br />Local artist, Dylan Lisle had his Dobermann puppy Leda stolen on Tuesday evening.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uE9SLAc1tE4/TdWAytLn7wI/AAAAAAAAAwM/hB6J8T6WbBw/s1600/Doberman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uE9SLAc1tE4/TdWAytLn7wI/AAAAAAAAAwM/hB6J8T6WbBw/s1600/Doberman.jpg" /></a></div><br />There is a possibility that Leda is in the Newhaven/Granton area.&nbsp; Please call Leith police station or&nbsp;Dylan Lisle&nbsp;on 07914 817947 if you see ANYONE with a Dobermann. A dog like this does not simply vanish.<br /><br /><br />You can read more details on Dylan Lisle's website <a href="http://dylanlisle.blogspot.com/2011/05/absolute-calamity-someone-stole-my-dog.html">HERE</a>.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/calling-all-edinburgh-animal-lovers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-3169478459597289273Tue, 17 May 2011 21:26:00 +00002011-05-17T22:26:52.710+01:00Scottish Liberal DemocratsScottish ParliamentTavish ScottWillie Rennie MSPWillie Rennie MSP takes the reins of the Scottish Liberal DemocratsI'm delighted that Willie Rennie decided to take the plunge and go for the leadership of the Scottish Party.<br /><br />As nominations closed at midday today, Willie Rennie was the only candidate for the leadership, so no all member ballot was required this time, unlike 2008.<br /><br />Willie Rennie chose&nbsp;the Fife coastal village of North Queensferry where, in the shadow of the Forth Bridges,&nbsp;he announced&nbsp;to the media that he had been confirmed as the new leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ALcu66U0arM/TdLnq1hfjnI/AAAAAAAAAwI/q_1dH9iLVLk/s1600/5729986821_799925db4e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" j8="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ALcu66U0arM/TdLnq1hfjnI/AAAAAAAAAwI/q_1dH9iLVLk/s320/5729986821_799925db4e_z.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />Willie replaces Tavish Scott, who resigned 10 days ago in the wake of devastating Scottish Parliament election results.<br /><br />Despite the three leaders of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives all resigning following the elections results twelve days ago, it is the Scottish Lib Dems who announce their new leader first.<br /><br /><br />Following the leadership announcement, Willie&nbsp;Rennie said:<br /><blockquote>"I will be working with my colleagues in the Scottish Parliament to stand up to the SNP bulldozer.<br /><br /><br />"We will not sit on our hands in the face of an SNP majority - we will be that Liberal voice standing up for the values that Scotland holds dear."</blockquote>I am delighted to be working closely with Willie Rennie and relish the challenges that we will face over the coming years.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/willie-rennie-msp-takes-reins-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-801438582022353114Tue, 17 May 2011 20:08:00 +00002011-05-17T21:08:41.011+01:00Donald EmslieEdinburgh ZooHugh RobertsWhat do Sunderland FC and Edinburgh Zoo have in common?Interim Chief Executive Hugh Roberts, that's what.<br /><br />Edinburgh Zoo has recently been mired in controversy and now Hugh Roberts has been appointed to sort it out and bring some stability back to the zoo.<br /><br />There has been no-one in the Chief Executive role since November 2010 when David Windmill retired.<br /><br />Then, all within the last two months, two senior staff, Gary Wilson (Chief Operating Officer) and Iain Valentine (Director of animals, conservation and education) have been suspended while inquiries into anonymous allegations were carried out.<br /><br />Gary Wilson is now due to return to work after "There was no disciplinary case to answer".<br /><br />A third senior member of staff, Anthony McReavy (Director of development) was sacked and Max Gaunt (honorary treasurer) resigned.<br /><br />Just last week over 500 members attended an emergency meeting and recorded a vote of no confidence in Donald Emslie, the Chairman of The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.<br /><br />However, last week he refused to step down ignoring the wishes of Zoo Members - I would have attended if I could have got back from London in time.<br /><br />Mr Emslie finally caved into public pressure and resigned on Monday.<br /><br />The Board has also appointed an interim Chief Executive, Hugh Roberts, who starts work tomorrow.<br /><br />His previous roles include Hugh’s previous positions include Chief Executive of Sunderland Football Club PLC and Managing Director of UK brewer Adnams PLC.&nbsp; He has also held the post of interim Managing Director and other senior directorial roles with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), Chadwick House Group Limited and Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS). <br /><br />Hugh Robert’s most recent role was with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VbCrm3d5r2E/TdLVmkCrJAI/AAAAAAAAAwE/lRj4wzaDP_0/s1600/gulp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" j8="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VbCrm3d5r2E/TdLVmkCrJAI/AAAAAAAAAwE/lRj4wzaDP_0/s320/gulp.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Recently the zoo has wasted valuable resources in members mailings - two for the emergency meeting, one for the AGM&nbsp;and then the members magazine, advertising 13 events at the zoo and wildlife park.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Unfortunately 7 had already passed by the time the magazine reached us, leaving just 6.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This isn't the first time this has happened and it needs to stop.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Surely the AGM mailing could have been included in the magazine?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>Let us hope Hugh Roberts is going to bring stability and some common sense to Edinburgh Zoo, it is certainly needed after a period of arrogance and uncertainty.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-do-sunderland-fc-and-edinburgh-zoo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-296494816271945958Sat, 14 May 2011 06:25:00 +00002011-05-14T07:25:48.360+01:00LGBT communityUgandaKill the gays Bill off the table for nowEarlier this week I blogged <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/less-than-72-hours-to-stop-ugandan-kill.html">Less than 72 hours to stop the Ugandan “Kill The Gays” Bill</a> after religious extremists presented a petition to the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Edward Ssekandi.<br /><br />The original bill was shelved in March. Claiming 2 million signatures, the petition demanded continued passage of the bill. Using the riots currently roiling Uganda as a distraction, supporters of the bill tried to pass it before the legislature expired on May 18, 2011.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dM4V1h9y8_k/Tc4fztX4GyI/AAAAAAAAAwA/bwU6i5Zvg74/s1600/Uganda_delivery_campiagn%252520page_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175px" j8="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dM4V1h9y8_k/Tc4fztX4GyI/AAAAAAAAAwA/bwU6i5Zvg74/s320/Uganda_delivery_campiagn%252520page_original.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, Frank Mugisha, and other activists deliver <br />your 500,000 petitions to the Parliament (Credit: James Akena)</td></tr></tbody></table>However, the LGBT community mobilised against it, over 500,000 around the world signed the petition to stop Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality bill.<br /><br />The international outcry was heard and the Ugandan Parliament has adjourned for this session.&nbsp; In fact the parliament was closed early in the face of an unprecedented global outcry, abandoning the Bill for now&nbsp;- but the fight isn't over yet. <br /><br />We must ensure that when the parliament returns that this bill is opposed once more and removed forever.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/kill-gays-bill-off-table-for-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-9157541570847898738Thu, 12 May 2011 11:05:00 +00002011-05-13T21:40:12.234+01:00Statement by David Laws MPStatement from David Laws<p>David Laws, MP for Yeovil, today commented on the conclusion of the Inquiry by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and the Standards and Privileges Committee.<p>The Inquiry identified a number of breaches of rules, in particular it found that Mr. Laws was in breach of the partner rule, and should have designated his constituency home as his main home from 2004/05, on the basis of the nights spent test.<p>However, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards accepted that Mr. Laws&#39; motivation was privacy and not financial benefit, and both the Commissioner and the Committee accept that his claims would have been &quot;considerably more&quot; if he had claimed in accordance with the rules.<p>The Inquiry received evidence from Mr. Laws that his claims would have been almost &#163;30,000 higher over 2004-2010 if he had made these against his Somerset home, as the Commissioner has ruled that he should. There was therefore no loss to the taxpayer from the breach in rules.<p>On the issue of rental levels, the Commissioner has concluded that the amounts charged by Mr Laws were &quot;broadly similar&quot; to the levels of Assured Shorthold Tenancy rent estimated by his advisers.&#160; Although the Commissioner&#39;s advisers suggested that the rent should be lower because Mr Laws had a lodging agreement with less legal security, the Committee and Commissioner have agreed that Mr Laws&#39; living arrangements were in fact more advantageous than the agreements documented.<p>Last June as the Commissioner stated &quot;to his personal credit&quot; Mr. Laws paid back all of his claims from July 2006 to July 2009, even though Mr Lyons has now concluded that he would have been entitled to more money if he had claimed correctly over this period.<p>David Laws MP said: &quot;I accept the conclusions of the Inquiry and take full responsibility for the mistakes which I have made. I apologise to my constituents and to Parliament. Each of us should be our own sternest critic, and I recognise that my attempts to keep my personal life private were in conflict with my duty as an MP to ensure that my claims were in every sense above reproach. I should have resolved this dilemma in the public interest and not in the interests of my privacy.<p>&#160;&quot;However, from the moment these matters became public, I have made clear that my motivation was to protect my privacy, rather than to benefit from the system of parliamentary expenses, and I am pleased that the Commissioner has upheld that view.<p>&#160;&quot;I have also, from the very beginning, made clear that I believed that my secrecy about my private life led me to make lower overall claims than would otherwise be the case, and this has been confirmed by the Parliamentary Commissioner and by the Committee. The taxpayer gained, rather than lost out, from my desire for secrecy, though I fully accept that this is not an adequate reason for breaking the rules.<p>&#160;&quot;This last year has been a difficult one, and I am grateful to family, friends, constituents and colleagues for their support and understanding.&quot;
<br>------------------http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/statement-by-david-laws-mp.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-3105832074751165202Mon, 09 May 2011 21:39:00 +00002011-05-09T22:39:43.922+01:00LGBTPresident MuseveniUgandaLess than 72 hours to stop the Ugandan “Kill The Gays” BillI have just signed an online&nbsp;<a href="http://www.allout.org/en/petition/uganda">petition</a> demanding that the Ugandan President Musevini veto the “kill the gays” bill should it be passed in Parliament.&nbsp; We have just learned the “kill the gays” bill – a death sentence for all LGBT people in Uganda – could come up for a vote in the next 72 hours if we don’t act now.<br /><br />The Ugandan Parliament may vote as early as May 11 (Wednesday) on the “kill the gays” bill previously reported as shelved.&nbsp; Religious extremists presented a petition to the Speaker of the Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, shortly after the bill was shelved in March.&nbsp; Claiming 2 million signatures, the petition demanded passage of the bill.&nbsp; Using the riots currently roiling the nation as a distraction, supporters of the bill may try to pass it before this legislature expires on May 18, 2011.<br /><br />Conservative leaders are trying hard to push the bill forward before the millions like us who oppose it have a chance to speak out. If we can create a massive international outcry, theres a chance to stop this bill from becoming law. <br /><br />This hateful bill appears to be a political diversion, a way to distract from the legitimate grievances of pro-democracy activists, who have been beaten, teargassed, jailed, and even killed in recent weeks.<br /><br />There are only&nbsp;hours left to make sure your voice is heard. <br /><br />Will you join me in demanding the Ugandan President Musevini veto the “Kill The Gays” bill should it be passed in Parliament? <br /><br />Sign and share this urgent petition: <a href="http://www.allout.org/en/petition/uganda">http://www.allout.org/en/petition/uganda</a>http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/less-than-72-hours-to-stop-ugandan-kill.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-7735888979502630882Sun, 08 May 2011 21:03:00 +00002011-05-08T22:03:36.117+01:00Jo Swinson MPScottish Liberal DemocratsTavish ScottTavish Scott resigns as the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats - my viewThursday night and Friday&nbsp;was hard for me to take as many candidates (and friends) across Scotland were losing seats and deposits as the domino effect of the SNP majority was happening before our very eyes.<br /><br />The whole team had worked so incredibly hard, some candidates and their teams doing the volumes of door knocking and leafleting they hadn't seen since the early 1980's.<br /><br />We had deliberately reduced the team in Clifton Terrace, our Edinburgh HQ from the levels of the 2007 campaign because we knew we had to get our teams out in the constituencies.<br /><br />Despite some criticism from people we did not take our voters for granted in any area, in fact more resources went into some of these areas than originally intended.<br /><br />When I left the office on Friday I had been awake and out of bed for 35 hours, when the final result came in from Mid Scotland &amp; Fife regional list, announcing Willie Rennie as our 5th MSP, I was exhausted and needed sleep, badly - I'm not as young as some of my team.<br /><br />I had actually left the office at 7.30am to go to the hotel to get some kip, unfortunately as I fell asleep Sir Robert Smith MP telephoned, closely followed by Elspeth Finlay. So much for that idea.<br /><br />I awoke on Saturday morning around 8am, as Loco, my cat was scratching the door and miaowing - she wanted breakfast, and wasn't letting my lack of sleep or the SNP get in the way.<br /><br />I then fell asleep in the chair and awoke just in time to head into town for a staff meeting with Tavish and the new parliamentary party ahead of a meeting of the Scottish Party Executive.<br /><br />It was at this meeting that Tavish dropped his bombshell, he was resigning with immediate effect!<br /><br />If my emotions weren't all screwed up already, then this news gave them another bash.<br /><br />In his resignation statement he said:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>“I want to announce that I am resigning the leadership of the Scottish Liberal Democrats with immediate effect.<br /><br />“Thursday’s Scottish General Election result was disastrous and I must and do take responsibility for the verdict of the electorate.<br /><br />“The party needs a new direction, new thinking and new leadership to win back the trust of the Scottish people.<br /><br />“I am honoured to serve as Shetland’s MSP in this Parliament.”</blockquote>I have only been in Scotland since the end of May 2008.&nbsp; Tavish became Leader in August of the same year and we had enjoyed a good relationship since, we didn't always see eye to eye, but we always had the debate.<br /><br />I will certainly miss working with Tavish and look forward to working with the new leader - whoever that should be.<br />Since the General Election, Tavish had known that this election was never going to be just about Scotland, firstly we thought the AV referendum would divert attention but then as time went on we knew the coalition would be the focus.<br /><br />I will also say I have continued to be disappointed by some strands of the Scottish media for not being fair on Tavish.&nbsp; Glenn Campbell for one in the Leaders debate often cut Tavish off mid sentence and got his own personal digs in on the coalition, but never did the same to Annabel Goldie. <br />&nbsp; <br />I'm not playing cry baby about this, but Scottish journalists need to learn to be consistent across all parties, not behave like Premiership referees and respond to behaviour from some angles favouring one party or another. <br />&nbsp; <br />Tavish didn't need to resign yesterday, he could have made the announcement and then set a date in the future, but he stood up and took full responsibility for the result. <br />&nbsp; <br />In the short term, Jo Swinson MP, currently the Deputy Leader&nbsp;becomes acting leader. The timetable for the election of the new leader will be announced in due course.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/tavish-scott-resigns-as-leader-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-1820984218777642868Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:14:00 +00002011-05-30T00:16:02.611+01:00bloggingGoogle analyticsstat pornThe April 2011 stat porn for my little blogContinuing my regular monthly stat porn figures for anyone who is remotely interested in who reads my little blog, what stories they read and from where they read it, the monthly summary of my visitor stats according to google analytics is as below for&nbsp;April 2011.<br /><br />The busiest day on my blog last month was Sunday 17th April, the day I blogged about John Lamont's short term memory loss, as he attacks an opponent for wanting to be an MP - as he did just twelve months ago!<br /><br />Last month I had 1,182 absolute unique visitors, a slight dent on last month. They made 1,458 visits and 1,792 page views.<br /><br />13.99% of the visitors were through direct traffic, 34.22% from referring sites and 51.78% via search engines.<br /><br />So, my top 10 referring sites for the last month were;<br /><br />1. Facebook (1)<br />2. Blogger (7)<br />3. Google.co.uk (5)<br />4. Twitter (2)<br />5. Better Nation (12)<br />6. Lib Dem Voice (4)<br />7. Mungiuns Republic (9)<br />8. Lib Dem Blogs (6)<br />9. Planet Politics (14)<br />10. Google.com (11)<br />During&nbsp;April I wrote just&nbsp;7 blog posts, another poor month.<br /><br />The top 10 stories by direct page views that you've read most were;<br /><br />1. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/police-federation-go-for-scaremongering.html">Police Federation go for scaremongering advert</a><br />2. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/conservative-candidate-john-lamont-has.html">Conservative candidate John Lamont has short term memory</a><br />3. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/labour-leader-iain-gray-i-want-zero.html">Labour leader Iain Gray: "I want a zero tolerance approach on literacy"</a><br />4. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/supporting-nus-scotland-lgbt-mental.html">Supporting the NUS Scotland LGBT mental health campaign is important - DO IT!</a><br />5. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2010/05/jack-frew-murdered-in-cold-blood-for.html">Jack Frew - murdered in cold blood for being gay?</a><br />6. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/biggest-story-in-scotland-today.html">The biggest story in Scotland today</a><br />7. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/01/adam-levine-gets-naked.html">Adam Levine gets naked</a><br />8. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/01/who-reads-which-newspaper.html">Who reads which newspaper?</a><br />9. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2010/12/angela-constance-msp-is-new-scottish.html">Angela Constance MSP is new Scottish Minister for Skills &amp; Lifelong Learning</a><br />10. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/save-our-scottish-police-from-snp.html">Save our Scottish Police from the SNP, Conservatives and Labour plans</a><br /><br />Once again a real mixed bag this month and as I only wrote&nbsp;7 blog posts, the top 10 was always going to include stuff from previous months - so this month a naked Adam Levine returns as does the tragic death last year of&nbsp;Jack Frew, in addition we have the NUS LGBT campaign and the single police force issue.<br /><br />The visitors to my little blog came from&nbsp;48 countries this month, the top ten were as follows;<br /><br />1. United Kingdom (1)<br />2. United States (2)<br />3. France (3)<br />4. Australia (=8)<br />5. Canada (4)<br />6. India (12)<br />7. New Zealand (47)<br />=8. Brazil (21)<br />=8. Netherlands (11)<br />10. Italy (10)<br /><br />Enjoy the porn because, that's all folks!http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/april-2011-stat-porn-for-my-little-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-7798628693495466793Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:25:00 +00002011-04-18T19:36:21.035+01:00Iain GrayScotlandScottish Labour PartyLabour leader Iain Gray: "I want a zero tolerance approach on literacy"The Scottish Labour Party have distributed their regional election addresses across many parts of Scotland and in many editions there is an interview with their leader, Iain Gray.<br /><br />Iain Gray is quoted within this interview as saying;<br /><blockquote>"I want a zero tolerance approach on literacy,"</blockquote><br />A very odd line to take.<br /><br />Does he mean he will stamp out literacy in our schools?<br /><br />That is certainly what he implies, did he mean to say he wanted a zero tolerance to illiteracy?<br /><br />According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, <b>the definition of literacy is</b>;<br /><blockquote>• the ability to read and write<br /><i>Far more resources are needed to improve adult literacy.</i><br /><br />• knowledge of a particular subject, or a particular type of knowledge<br /><i>Computer literacy is becoming as essential as the ability to drive a car.&nbsp;</i></blockquote><br />According to Dictionary.com, <b>the definition of illiteracy is</b>;<br /><blockquote><div class="dndata">• <span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">lack</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">of</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">ability</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">to</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">read</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">and</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">write.</span></span></div><div class="dndata"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">&nbsp;</span> </span></div><div class="luna-Ent">• the state of being illiterate; lack of any or enough education.&nbsp; </div><br /><div class="luna-Ent">• a mistake in writing or speaking, felt to be characteristic of an illiterate or semi literate person: a letter that was full of illiteracies.</div></blockquote><br />I think that Iain Gray and Scottish Labour may have made a mistake here....why would you want a zero tolerance approach to the ability to read and write?http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/labour-leader-iain-gray-i-want-zero.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-1718585654551441997Sun, 17 Apr 2011 12:12:00 +00002011-04-17T19:58:38.123+01:00BerwickshireEtrrickEuan RobsonJohn LamontRoxburghScottish ConservativesScottish Liberal DemocratsConservative candidate John Lamont has short term memoryI noticed in John Lamonts latest leaflet ironically titled "Common sense with John Lamont" a moment of short term memory loss.<br /><br />In the leaflet, John Lamont has criticised Euan Robson, his Scottish Liberal Democrats challenger (SNP and Labour are over 4,000 votes behind Euan), for wanting to become an MP.<br /><br />Is this the same Conservative John Lamont who spent tens of thousands of pounds trying to beat Michael Moore to become an MP only last year?<br /><br />It certainly is.<br /><br />Maybe John Lamont and the local Conservatives have got some short term memory loss?http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/conservative-candidate-john-lamont-has.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-8357414118691742249Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:03:00 +00002011-04-16T22:03:49.194+01:00Edinburgh ZooHighland Wildlife ParkLDV. Lib Dem VoiceMercedesThe biggest story in Scotland todayI was invited to take part in the ‘<strong>Bloggers’ takeover</strong>‘ at <a href="http://www.libdemvoice.org/">Liberal Democrat Voice</a> today by <a href="http://liberalburblings.co.uk/">Paul Walter</a> who is guest editor of Lib Dem Voice today.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bNZbwVVXpPw/TaoD_3wwHzI/AAAAAAAAAv8/wWGXgJikFb4/s1600/bloggers.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bNZbwVVXpPw/TaoD_3wwHzI/AAAAAAAAAv8/wWGXgJikFb4/s320/bloggers.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />Paul invited a selection of bloggers to write today including yours truly. <br /><br />You can read my opinion piece on the <a href="http://www.libdemvoice.org/opinion-the-biggest-news-story-in-scotland-23830.html">biggest story in Scotland today</a>.<br /><br />A huge thanks to Paul for asking me to write for Lib Dem Voice.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/biggest-story-in-scotland-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-85273913607351881Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:47:00 +00002011-04-11T21:47:34.466+01:00LGBT communityNUS ScotlandScottish Liberal DemocratsTavish ScottSupporting the NUS Scotland LGBT mental health campaign is important - DO IT!It's funny how Twitter starts a relationship.&nbsp; I sent congratulations to <a href="http://twitter.com/nathansparkling#">Nathan Sparling</a> who announced on Twitter he had won the election to be the new NUS Scotland LGBT Officer.<br /><br />Nathan soon got into his new role and then got in touch asking if <a href="http://twitter.com/tavishscott#">Tavish Scott</a> and the <a href="http://twitter.com/scotlibdems#">Scottish Liberal Democrats</a> would support the new NUS Scotland campaign on mental health in the LGBT community?<br /><br />Tavish Scott was very quick off the mark and more than happy to support the campaign and said;<br /><blockquote>"One in four people in Scotland will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. Given that Stonewall has reported that approximately half a million of Scotland’s population are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, it’s clear that these are issues that affect a great many people. And with research suggesting that LGBT people may experience higher levels of mental health problems, we recognise that more should be done to improve the experiences of the LGBT community when accessing mental health services.<br /><br />"We therefore warmly welcome the NUS campaign and agree that mental health services in university and college campuses, health services and communities in general should be free of discrimination and fully accessible to all."</blockquote>Did you know that someone from the LGBT community is four times more likely to commit suicide then other people?<br /><blockquote>With homosexuality only being declassified as a mental illness by the World Health Organisation just 19 years ago, in 1992, it is not surprising that accessing mental health services is often daunting or simply not an option for LGBT people.<br /></blockquote>This was a fact I did not know and was I actually shocked by it.<br /><br />So the Scottish Liberal Democrats today announced their full backing for NUS Scotland’s innovative new LGBT campaign ‘There’s More to My Education’, which is pushing for better representation of LGBT people in the Scottish Government’s anti-stigma and mental health campaign, and wants university, college and community mental health services to be more friendly and accessible for LGBT students.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XNGkrWcSO6E/TaNmNwclMUI/AAAAAAAAAv4/dvzh8UOLa0c/s1600/LibDemsSupport.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XNGkrWcSO6E/TaNmNwclMUI/AAAAAAAAAv4/dvzh8UOLa0c/s400/LibDemsSupport.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />I recall when I came out when I was 15, it was a massive issue for me, it was one of the biggest decisions of my life and yet was one of the loneliest.<br /><br />The gay scene is fun when you have tons of friends around you, I worked in the Admiral Duncan pub, one of the gay nightclubs in Nottingham so I had a huge circle of friends, but strangely when you really needed friends they weren't always there for you.<br /><br />I've been lucky over the years with some great friends helping me through some tough times in my life, including the period when I was 18 through to 21 when after I came out to my Mum, we never spoke once during that period.<br /><br />The time my closest friend died - he had the very same heart disease I do - that was a tough time.<br /><br />I'm not going to list everything but needless to say, like many others in the world, I've had tough times to get through, they are not all to do with my sexuality but trust me when I say, the gay scene is great when you are young, but it can be bloody tough too.<br /><br />That is why this campaign by NUS Scotland is so important.<br /><br />Please encourage your candidates, of whatever party to <a href="http://theresmoretomyeducation.org/what-you-can-do">sign the petition</a>.<br /><br />Nathan, good luck in the new job!http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/supporting-nus-scotland-lgbt-mental.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-1397710790900704399Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:42:00 +00002011-04-09T19:42:53.774+01:00ConservativeLabourPoliceScottish Liberal DemocratsSNPTavish ScottSave our Scottish Police from the SNP, Conservatives and Labour plansThere is a massive campaign brewing here in Scotland and the political parties are lining up on one side or the other.<br /><br />The SNP put forward proposals to scrap the current eight Scottish Constabularies and replace it with just one.<br /><br />The cost will be at least £92million and cost between 3,000 - 4,000 frontline police officers.<br /><br />Both the Labour party and Conservatives have joined the SNP and now all three also want to create just one fire service as well. Labour also want to centralise care and NHS services.<br /><br />Although the Liberal Democrats are often against centralisation, the proposals by Alex Salmond, Iain Gray and Annabel Goldie just don't make sense in many areas of Scotland - especially in the rural communities and the many islands that make up this great country.<br /><br />Their expensive proposals must be stopped.<br /><br />You can watch Tavish Scott and Charles Kennedy explain why below.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1cRNUVS24v0" title="YouTube video player" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><br />You can sign&nbsp;the online petition <a href="http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/keeppolicinglocal">HERE</a> and like the facebook campaign page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SaveOurPolice">HERE</a>.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/save-our-scottish-police-from-snp.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-6866452586253536656Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:55:00 +00002011-04-04T18:56:11.176+01:00PolicePolice FederationScottish ConservativesScottish Labour. SNPScottish Liberal DemocratsTavish ScottPolice Federation go for scaremongering advertWhen I got to page 15 of my Metro this morning, I was somewhat taken aback by the advert from the Police Federation.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UzlqxD4SaVw/TZoCltTcuCI/AAAAAAAAAvw/F3IH5D5hMgg/s1600/press_ad_banner_new_040411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UzlqxD4SaVw/TZoCltTcuCI/AAAAAAAAAvw/F3IH5D5hMgg/s320/press_ad_banner_new_040411.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I think it is cheap and nasty scaremongering.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, organisations have the democratic right to their views, and to voice them, but cheap scaremongering from the Police Federation is just that, cheap.<br /><br />The Police Federation is an organisation I have worked with over the years, mainly when I worked for Vince Cable MP, who at the time was the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Police.<br /><br />According to their website:<br /><blockquote>the Federation is reliant on negotiation alone to reach agreements on pay and conditions. </blockquote><br />I'm not keen on their current attempt to negotiate.<br /><br />Here in Scotland we have the SNP, Conservatives and Labour planning to scrap local policing putting around 3,000 frontline police jobs at risk.<br /><br />Not through cuts to funding streams but through a massive and expensive centralisation programme.<br /><br />The Scottish Liberal Democrats are fighting this disastrous proposal from the other three parties, we want local police to be local police, not directed by bueracrats in Edinburgh.<br /><br />Police should be out on the beat, not filling out paperwork in back offices and certainly not all pulled from communities around Scotland to police football matches in the big cities by the Edinburgh bueracrats.<br /><br />They also want to centralise our fire service as well, what is next after the police and fire services?<br /><br />Sign our <a href="http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/keeppolicinglocal">petition</a> today to add your voice to Save our Police and Fire services.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/04/police-federation-go-for-scaremongering.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-2973946651885314990Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:40:00 +00002011-05-27T21:45:55.961+01:00bloggingGoogle analyticsstat pornThe March 2011 stat porn for my little blogContinuing my regular monthly stat porn figures for anyone who is remotely interested in who reads my little blog, what stories they read and from where they read it, the monthly summary of my visitor stats according to google analytics is as below for&nbsp;March 2011.<br /><br />The busiest day on my blog last month was Sunday 20th March, the day I blogged about the iphone app that claims to cure you if you are gay.<br /><br />Last month I had 1,543 absolute unique visitors, a decent increase on last month. They made 1,946 visits and 2,460 page views.<br /><br />11.30% of the visitors were through direct traffic, 23.77% from referring sites and 64.91% via search engines.<br /><br />So, my top 10 referring sites for the last month were;<br />1.&nbsp;Facebook (2)<br />2. Twitter (4)<br />3.&nbsp;Delicious (16)<br />4. Lib Dem Voice (7)<br />5.&nbsp;Google.co.uk (3)<br />6. Lib Dem Blogs (8)<br />7. Blogger (6)<br />8. Politicshome.com (New Entry)<br />9. Mungions Republic (14)<br />10. Lallands Peat Warrior (13)<br /><br />During&nbsp;March I wrote just&nbsp;9 blog posts, that is 3 times as many as last month but even so, it is still rubbish.<br /><br />The top 10 stories by direct page views that you've read most were;<br /><br />1. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/glasgow-labour-councillor-william.html">Glasgow Labour Councillor William O’Rourke sacked over rape remarks</a><br />2. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-you-gay-and-need-curing-theres-app.html">Are you gay and need curing? There's an app for that</a><br />3. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/dunfermline-labour-party-in-election.html">Dunfermline Labour Party in election blunder</a><br />4. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/ben-bradshaw-mp-or-candidate.html">Ben Bradshaw - MP or candidate?</a><br />5. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/ed-milibands-insult-to-voters-of.html">Ed Miliband's insult to the voters of Scotland</a><br />6. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/labour-run-haringey-council-truth-about.html">Labour run Haringey Council - the truth about the cuts</a><br />7. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/01/adam-levine-gets-naked.html">Adam Levine gets naked</a><br />8. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/can-you-afford-15-to-help-fund-new.html">Can you afford £15 to help fund a new business?</a><br />9. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2010/05/jack-frew-murdered-in-cold-blood-for.html">Jack Frew - murdered in cold blood for being gay?</a><br />10. <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2010/12/angela-constance-msp-is-new-scottish.html">Angela Constance MSP is new Scottish Minister for Skills &amp; Lifelong Learning</a><br />A genuine mixed bag this month and as I only wrote&nbsp;9 blog posts, the top 10 was always going to include stuff from previous months, although it is just 3&nbsp;- so this&nbsp;month is about&nbsp;naked men,&nbsp;curing gays via your iphone, Labour gaffe's&nbsp;and Jack Frew.<br /><br />The visitors to my little blog came from 52 countries this month, the top ten were as follows;<br /><br />1. United Kingdom (1)<br />2. United States (2)<br />3. France (4)<br />4. Canada (6)<br />5. Germany (New Entry)<br />6. Belgium (=7)<br />7. Philippines (13)<br />=8. Australia (=9)<br />=8. Spain (5)<br />10. Italy (19)<br /><br />Enjoy the porn because, that's all folks!http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/05/march-2011-stat-porn-for-my-little-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-5166853685633275356Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:13:00 +00002011-03-26T15:13:51.582+00:00Ben Bradshaw MPExeterBen Bradshaw - MP or candidate?I'm sat in the <a href="http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/">Scottish Lib Dems HQ</a>, as you do on a Saturday afternoon, trying to get the scanner to work to send <a href="http://twitter.com/elspethfinlay">Elspeth</a> some paperwork she needs for a piece of literature she is working on.<br /><br />I happened to turn round and look out the window and there was Ben Bradshaw MP wheeling his suitcase along carrying a bouquet of beautiful flowers.<br /><br />Initially I couldn't remember his name, so did what everyone does, I googled MP for Exeter.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CjAqDnyjgsA/TY4CZPNyF6I/AAAAAAAAAvA/OPQc4ISPZfI/s1600/imageResize.php.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CjAqDnyjgsA/TY4CZPNyF6I/AAAAAAAAAvA/OPQc4ISPZfI/s1600/imageResize.php.jpg" /></a></div><br />I was somewhat shocked when I then visited <a href="http://www.benbradshaw.co.uk/index.php">his website</a> as it is really out of date, in fact so out of date he is still described as the candidate for Exeter, not the MP (re-elected) with references to 2009 here and there.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.benbradshaw.co.uk/blog/">Ben Bradshaw's blog</a> however is more up to date but still out of date, with stories from November 2010.<br /><br />I'm a little surprised to be honest, but maybe if he passes the office again I will mention it to him.<br /><br />Anyway, yes, he is still the MP, according to another part of his website:<br /><blockquote>In the 2010 General election Ben retained the seat for Labour</blockquote>http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/ben-bradshaw-mp-or-candidate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545428530989218019.post-2757942311543614789Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:40:00 +00002011-03-20T14:40:56.826+00:00Ed MilibandScottish Labour PartyScottish Liberal DemocratsTavish ScottEd Miliband's insult to the voters of ScotlandYesterday was Scottish Labours conference, if you missed it, it's understandable as media coverage was lower than that of other Scottish Parties because Labour chose to have their Autumn one covered in more detail.<br /><br />Maybe Ed Miliband realised that with hardly anyone watching, he could say whatever he wanted?<br /><br />So, despite the fact that in their thirteen years of government, of which Ed Miliband was part, Labour sold off Britain's gold at a twenty year low price, offered Britain's pensioners a miserly and insulting 75p increase, failed to link the basic state pension to earnings, oversaw a £10 million tax credit bungle, insulted people by doubling the basic rate of tax from 10p to 20p, let bankers run riot, oversaw £3 billion of benefits being overpaid and took us into an illegal war in Iraq.<br /><br />They also left no money in Liam Byrne MP's own words and left us saddled with paying interest payments of £120 million per day on their debts!<br /><br />So, what were Ed Milibands words of wisdom to the voters of Scotland?<br /><br />Hitting out at the Tory-Lib Dem coalition, Mr Miliband told the conference: <br /><blockquote>"I have never wanted this to be a five-year government because of the damage it will do.<br /><br /><br />"And when people ask me, 'what are you going to do to reverse things in 2015', I say 'we can't wait until then'.<br /><br />"So let's use these elections to give us the best chance of stopping it going to the full term."</blockquote>Sorry?&nbsp; Mr Miliband, I hate to tell you this, but it appears your advisers forgot to mention that the Scottish Parliament elections on May 5th (or <a href="http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/dunfermline-labour-party-in-election.html">May 6th in Dunfermline</a> according to Labour) have nothing to do with removing the coalition government as voted for in last years election.<br /><br />The Scottish Parliament election is about voting for your local and regional MSPs (use both of your votes) and who then forms the Scottish Government.<br /><br />Don't be so patronising and rude to the Scottish voters a d insult them that they should make this a vote on the coalition because you lost last year.&nbsp; Isn't it time you stopped blaming the voters for voting you and your party out of office?<br /><br />I realise you blamed the previous Tory government for most of the thirteen years you were in power, but they rejected you and your party last May.&nbsp; Get over it.<br /><br />As red Ed mentioned the coalition, let me just mention&nbsp;four of the achievements made by the new coalition government because of the Liberal Democrats being part of it (in no particular order) in just ten months;<br /><br />1. The link between pensions and earnings, scrapped by Margaret Thatcher, was restored in the Coalition’s first budget. The annual increase in the state pension will be protected by a ‘triple lock’ - the rise will be in line with earnings, prices or a 2.5% increase, whichever is the greater.<br /><br />2. We have scrapped the ID card programme. The ID card database was publicly destroyed on 11th February 2011.<br /><br />3. In June’s emergency budget we increased the rate of Capital Gains Tax to 28% for higher rate taxpayers while keeping it at 18% for basic rate taxpayers. This will raise an extra £1bn and end the disgraceful situation of bankers paying a lower rate of tax than their cleaners.<br /><br />4. In June’s emergency budget, we raised the tax threshold by £1,000, lifting 880,000 low earners out of tax completely (from this April). It will increase each year of the Coalition Government until it reaches £10,000, which will lift an additional 3 million people out of tax altogether.<br /><br />In Scotland Tavish Scott fought for local Post Offices to receive over £1million support, last year 50 of Scotland's Post Offices developed their business thanks to the Post Office diversification funds, a further £1 million has gone into the fund for this year.<br /><br />Other concessions made to the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament budget include:<br /><br /><br />· Additional funding for FE bursaries of £15 million, spread across 2010-2011-12 to provide additional student support for current student numbers.<br /><br />· Additional funding of £8 million in 2011-12 that would support an additional 1,200 college places and associated student support.<br /><br />· 1,500 additional Modern Apprenticeships, including 500 places for the renewables sector, at a cost of £2 million<br /><br />· 2,000 additional flexible training opportunities<br /><br />That is what the the voters of Scotland are looking for, solutions for Scotland, not a power grab as Ed Miliband has suggested.http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2011/03/ed-milibands-insult-to-voters-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Andrew Reeves)0